


One Step Off The Beat

by Rhidee



Series: Drabbles [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Character Turned Into a Ghost, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Magical Realism, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 18:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18597211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhidee/pseuds/Rhidee
Summary: “Hal, are you kidding me.”  The foot did a jaunty swirl, as the body attached to it nonchalantly flipped a page of Robotics Monthly.“You absolute fuck.  Look at me.  Remove your foot man I’m doing hardcore math here.”Hal slowly tilted down the magazine, poker face solid but his voice betraying utter, jackass contentment.“Hmmm?”“If it weren’t for the laws of this land I would slaughter you.”





	1. Chapter 1

When Roxy was somewhere between seven and nine she came to the abrupt realization that her mother didn’t love her.  She realized this, hands tangled in muddy grass, looking up as a car made it’s long slow way up the driveway, with a man she didn’t recognize in the front and her mother nowhere to be seen.  He greeted her like you’d greet a persistent salesperson, obviously unwilling to get close enough to look at her from her level, and spoke.  His words have been lost to time, like his face and the cut of his hair, but she remembers the gist.  Her mother had died, he was going to take her to negotiate the inheritance, and she would be living with her extended family until she came of age.  But she thought of the witches and wizards that her mother loved and hated with equal measure, of big stone steps and magic in the air, and the soft sparks she could almost feel if she really tried.  So she stood up obediently, tossed her muddy weeds in a wordless proclamation, and booked it into the woods.

She ran and jumped across rocks and her shoes would have skidded if they weren’t sitting neatly beside the door where her mother last put them.  She ran into branches and got dirt in her mouth and eyes and got turned around enough to be facing the exact right place, stumbling up the steps of her mother’s secret shed and grasping to the weirdness in the air and pushing with the pure desire to be left alone.  And so she was.

 

\-------

 

 Dirk had two thumbs, one stupid haircut, and had ‘used all of the 1 GB high speed data’ in his monthly data plan.  He also had a bag with a rubrics cube, two completed puzzle books, half a packet of fruit gummies, and a pair of shades in a secure metal case.  He continued to wordlessly take stock of his items, fingers flicking through his bag with the careless ease that only an upper teen boy can have, post most of puberty but pre having to pay for things with his own money.  Two nickels, unopened Ritz crackers, computer keyboard, mostly used sheet of lisa frank stickers, one ghost foot directly in his face.

“Hal.”  Dirk stared at the lines at the bottom of the shoe.

“Hal, are you kidding me.”  The foot did a jaunty swirl, as the body attached to it nonchalantly flipped a page of Robotics Monthly.

“You absolute fuck.  Look at me.  Remove your foot man I’m doing hardcore math here.” 

Hal slowly tilted down the magazine, poker face solid but his voice betraying utter, jackass contentment.

“Hmmm?  Yes Dirk?  Darling brother, do you require me?  Surely the road hasn’t yet made you that desperate.” 

“If it weren’t for the laws of this land I would slaughter you.”  

Hal stretched, his arms going through the window as he feigned a relaxed yawn.

“Unfortunately, you’ve been beat to the punch.  But seriously dude, this could not possibly be more boring.  I’ve read this magazine enough times to know the publishers by heart.  We have got to do something before I memorize the table of contents.  Is that what you want from me Dirk?  Do you want a brother who only knows the contents of this magazine?  You request help with homework but alas, my knowledge of addition has been replaced with the small print on a men’s razor brand.”

Dirk tossed the gummies at Hal, who promptly caught them and made a production of pretending to put them up his nose, despite the fact they fell as soon as he let go of them.

Dirk made the mature decision to ignore that and the immature decision to eat the ones that fell, reaching through Hal’s stomach to grab them.

They had been in the car for approximately a metric fuckton of time, random country side passing by and small nothing towns perking up at the temporary sight of luxury.  The car was one of those types poor people can’t even name, with a black tint divider and a sleek wastefulness to it.  The sun had begun to set, because time doesn’t care for symbolism of a new day, as they finally pull up to the ridiculously fancy house where they’re to stay until their dad can join them. 

“Hal, I hate to say this but you’re right, this is the opening plot of a horror movie.  Lizzie Bordon is about to peek out the window and scare you, the obvious wife of our brotherhood, and I’ll aloofly not believe you as you fall into increased mental distress and our kids talk about tall men looming in their closet.  It’s all in your head, honey, you’re just stressed from work, how about to lie down in the most haunted room and relax?”

The chauffer opens the doors for them with the nothing air of a plot device, and begins carrying their luggage inside with sexy rippling muscles only hidden by tailored clothing. 

“Firstly, fuck you.  Secondly, I’m literally dead.  This is not news.  I am the tall man in the closet.  Better yet, I’m having an affair with the tall man in the closet.  Our fictional, incestuous relationship just isn’t doing it for me anymore.  Only a real man can please me, and by real man I mean 18th century jilted lover who has no idea what is going on but is definitely a timeless asshole.  Maybe my homosexual wiles will draw him out of his shitty, manipulative heterosexuality, and we’ll have fierce love upon the roof and the basement and other areas that suck to be at.  Thank you, universe, for placing me in this position where I can enjoy my vastly homosexual dream of living in the woods.”

Hal put his leg down, which had gone up with dramatic passion at some point.  Dirk put his head down, into his hand, and sighed.


	2. Hal dies electric boogaloo!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wrote out this so here it is, reminder this is a drabbles collection within a drabbles collection so if this ain't your tea don't read!
> 
> Tags: angst, Hal strider, character death, godlike jackass villian

"Does it hurt?" The voice had a smile, the sparks around the human like shape glittering and sharp. Hal couldn't move his eyes from the gaping nothingness, the vantablack hole where a human should be.

"You're already nothing, a creak to Dirk's step, an extra shadow in the room. And now you know the truth. Not even Dirk matters, this could be anyone, anything, anywhere." The shape grew wings, teeth sharp, still yet ever changing.

Hal's knuckles were white against his katana, Dirk's katana, the katana. His legs were stiff and his hair softly moved back, less blown and more drawn away.

"All your hurt, for nothing. All you are, is nothing. You know it. I know it. Dirk knows it. Why are you even still fighting? Little twitch, can't move a muscle let alone the world. Give up."

A soft drip, a splatter on a leaf. Liquid red, bright in a colorless world. Then he tilted his head up, fell to his knees, and laughed.

Hard, loud, mocking laughter. 'I know something you don't know'.

He opened his mouth, victory in his teeth, breath drawn in. Ready to prove himself. Ready to finally show he's something. Ready to finally be himself, not Dirk 2.0, some leftover bits left to rot. The world comes to a crescendo, he beat of heroic drums almost deafening.

 

  
Then silence.

  
A thump.

  
Hal's glasses crunched against rock as his head rolled still faintly smiling.

  
Stop.

  
Wipe it clean.

  
Move along.


	3. Roxy gets comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tags: smoking, reminiscing, Roxy lalonde, dirk strider, parenting 
> 
>  
> 
> Uhhhhh Roxy is so old in this verse she's like, twenty four or something, downright ancient , specially since dirk is 19 Hal is stuck at 16 and Dave's like 15 
> 
> Authors notes:  
> [post telling davesprite, dirk sees Roxy outside alone and sees how she's doing. Dvsprt has ran off upset and Hal is ???]

Roxy took another drag of her cigerette, smoke sliding up into the air in toxic swirls.

"I've had a long time to come to grips with what I did. I was harmful, hurting the world for hurting me. I was just a dumb kid doing dumb things. And those things marked lil davey forever." 

Roxy's eyes looked up, eyes tracking smoke, tracing the trees, up past clouds and meeting eyes with the moon. Dirk took a deep breath, cool night air and secondhand smoke. 

"He loves you, you know."

Roxys eyes shut, face still tilted to the sky. She sighed, and met Dirk's gaze.

"I know. That's what hurts the most."


	4. Hal x thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: strong suicide themes 
> 
> Tags: Hal strider, dirk strider, suicidal thoughts, no character death

Oh, this was selfish.  So fucking selfish.

 

Hal gripped the railing.  Wind blew in his face, damp and crisp.  He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and leaned.

 

Have you ever taken flight?  Jumped on a trampoline, swung on some swings, ran so fast you felt weightless.  

 

It's like that, with a sudden stop.  No next time, no another day, nothing.  No sunshine warming you, feet in cold water, no video games or roller coasters or soft cats.  Everything stops.  Everything continues, without you.  Everyone hurts, without you.

 

But not today.

 

"Hal." 

 

Dirk's hand was holding Hal's shirt so tight it was painful.  

 

"What." Words built up and got caught in Dirk's throat.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

Hal shivered, leaned back, held the railing again.  He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his brother.

 

"Nothing bro, just lookin'."

 

Dirk didn't let go, tugged soft.  

 

"Let's go inside, okay?"

 

Hal took a look, just an instance but stretched out in his mind, at the waters below.  He nodded, turned, and followed his brother into another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this isn't a Hal whump drabble collection 
> 
> Hey, if you feel like your life isn't worth anything, you're wrong. If you feel selfish, you're probably wrong. If you hate asking for help, it's okay and you should ask for help. Please put yourself first, if you care about helping others you Must prioritize yourself.

**Author's Note:**

> So since posting my dream fic- something something orange creme idk the title and I'm doing this from my phone- I've been stuck on the plot. It's kept developing and is shaping up a lot like my underbound au from way back, which means I'll have a full story approximately when I'm.... 40 years old. I'm,,,not that, so drabbles! I'm just transferring my writings to here, trying to keep them ordered and reachable to me.  
> Anyway, if you like it and have something you wanna know about in this verse just hmu , I can write it.
> 
>  
> 
> Also I have Dave strider itis and they all sound like him hhhh


End file.
